Your Daily Insight as told by Lily Tomlin

I always knew I wanted to become somebody when I grew up. Now I realize I should have been more specific.

Display Your Fine Craftsmanship at Housing Works' "Made In Brooklyn"

Housing Works' Crosby St. LocationCrafts folk, authors, illustrators, fashionistas, jewelry designers, furniture gurus, photographers--in other words, everyone reading this--if you're based in Brooklyn and care about helping put an end to AIDS, then Housing Works wants Y.O.U.

For those not in the know, Housing Works is a chain of book stores, cafes and thrift shops throughout New York that donates 40% of their earnings towards ongoing AIDS research, creating housing for victims in need and expanding vital health services.

On May 19, the Brooklyn Heights location (122 Montague St.) will be presenting Made In Brooklyn, showcasing the work of local artisans who's work has any sort of Brooklyn thread to it.  Sound broad? That's because it is! But we think that's great.

Any work you submit will be on a donation-only basis, though any flyers, cards, contact info you want to attach, Housing Works will happily display it, in addition to giving you a nice little tax credit.  So think of it as instant exposure while backing a worthy cause.

See? This is Dirty Projectors and Björk perfoming a benefit at a Housing Works bookstore a couple years back:

Credit: Ryan Muir

Join their ranks, people! 

You've got unti May 12 to submit your work, so get cracking--any and all inquiries can be directed to Housing Works/event manager Nefertiti Moore: n.moore[at]housingworks.org

Your Daily Insight as told by Jack London

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.

Preview The "Violent Material" of Brooklyn Photographer, Steven Brahms

From "Violent Material"

Last March, we hosted the opening of Brooklyn photographer Steven Brahms' The Survival Project, a harrowing post-apocalyptic vision of us vs. the elements.

In the downtime from DP'ing music videos for the likes of Das Racist, Real Estate and Tanlines, Brahms has a unveiled an aggressive new body of work, exploring how little we truly know about violence, despite living in a visual culture hellbent on exposing us to it.

In the aptly named Violent Material, Brahms rounded up men in his neighborhood, provided them with a handgun and had them strike an action movie-style pose. In most images, the weapon remains concealed, heightening the sense of foreboding.

To quote Brahms on his inspiration:

In our contemporary state of affairs every action is a performance. We are inundated with an endless repetition of imagery. We find ourselves re-watching what we have already seen, whether it be another episode of ‘CSI’ or the endless cycle of conflict around the globe. The incidents we witness reveal nothing about what is actually happening. Actions are interpreted and each interpretation is different because in the telling and re-telling we don’t reveal the action itself, but an assortment of reductions and emphasis.

Presented here are a selection of images from Violent Material, as well as handful of his past work which we're just mightily fond of.

Feel like joining Brahms' ranks as a successful Brooklyn photographer? Great. We think you can do it--and we've got some classes for that.

Meanwhile, selects from Violent Material:

See the full body here.

And now, previous work:

Your Daily Insight as told by Antoine De Saint Exupery

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Built By Hand: Pro Member Sawyer DeVuyst Carves Out His Own Career

Photo Credit: Allison Michael Orenstein

Upon perusing the brand new (gorgeous) Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn, we came across side tables we were convinced had to be the work of 3rd Ward Pro Member, Sawyer DeVuyst.

Turns out we were dead-on. DeVuyst and his furniture company SAW were commissioned by the hotel for a number of pieces. With the hotel officially opening May 1st, you'll soon be able to see his work first-hand.

In the meantime, we grabbed a Q&A with the man himself. So read on for some true, be-your-own boss inspiration (and catch a glimpse of DeVuyst's artistry down below.)

3W: If you had to try and describe it, how would you define your work's guiding aesthetic?

SD: I like balance. I strive for balance. Where there's an element of perfection in one of my pieces, there also has to be something about it that is imperfect--whether it's a metal finish that's not completely symmetrical in tone or a wood top with loads of reclaimed character. Nothing can be perfect because that's just not how life works. I think you can see a lot of parallels between an artist's work and how they live their lives.

3W: When did you have that moment where you understood this was something you could truly do professionally?

SD: My dad is a millworker, so I grew up around tools. Having never gone to college, I began working in an architectural metal shop in 2007 as an apprentice, mainly doing metal finishes and installations. In my spare time, they taught me how to weld and when the buliding industry tanked, I was laid off. It was a sink or swim moment. I could've either been in the world sitting around, soaking up unemployment or I could've built my own world of creativity and self-sustainment. I chose the latter.

3W: How did you get hooked in with the Wythe Hotel?

SD: I was contacted via the SAW website. [The hotel is] an incredible space and the design as well as the thought process behind its interior really had me smitten. Within the hotel, SAW nightstands and the coffee table bases (the marble tops were not provided by SAW) can be seen in most Manhattan-view rooms and a handful of Brooklyn-view rooms on floors 2 through 5.  Also, in the suites on floors 7 and 8, the blackened steel coffee tables and side tables were bulit by SAW.

3W: A number of folks might have abandoned something like this midway. Though you've followed through and are now experiencing some real recognition. Any words to those hesitant about diving into an endeavor like yours?

SD: Follow up and follow through! In any project you're working on, in any business interaction. If you say you'll do something, stay true to your word and do it. That's my primary piece of advice. Secondarily, be considerate. I can't tell you how much people appreciate a considerate builder/business owner/subcontractor/coworker. However, I can tell you how much return work I've gotten because of this--and it's a lot.

(See, people? Living proof. Hone your craft, hone that online portfolio and get yourself moving.)

...And now for a closer look at DeVuyst's work:

Crated Coffee TableCrated Side TablePallet TablePallet Table DetailConcrete Side TableManhattan Kitchen RemodelGatsby TablesCoffee TableCrated Media ConsoleStill life with DeVuyst

Your Daily Insight as told by Bruce Lee

To hell with circumstances. I create opportunities.

Your Daily Insight as told by Louise Nevelson

Logic, where you ponder and, oh dear, it sounds so fancy -- what in the hell do you need it for? It measures you and limits you. See now take a word like imagination. Imagination is not vague. Imagination is flash thinking, instantaneous.

Call For Entries: Be Part Of This Summer's Crest Hardware Art Show

A hand truck and shopping cart crocheted by Olek. A skull made out of Phillips-head screws. A chandelier with snaky spirals of rubber tubing. These are just a few of the creations that have been featured in past editions of the legendary Crest Hardware Art Show at Williamsburg's Crest Hardware, and you have until May 31 to add to that list by submitting your own work for this summer's exhibition. 

The 11th Crest Hardware Art Show opens on June 30 with Crest Fest 2012, a day-long throw-down full of art, music, food, beverages and other great stuff from local vendors, and the art will remain on display through August 31.

Per tradition, all work "must be about, made with or inspired by hardware," so keep that in mind when crafting and submitting your entry. Check out the full guidelines and official entry form, and soon you, too, could be part of what Time Out New York has described as "a cadre of talented artists capable of turning lug nuts, bolts and rivets into show-worthy pieces."

For additional inspiration we'll leave you with this Brooklyn Independent Television segment about Crest Hardware and its renowned art show:

-- John Ruscher

Your Daily Insight as told by Some Dudes on the Street in Brooklyn

Today's is sort of a "reverse insight" -- meaning, on the surface it's completely uninspiring. But we overheard this little exchange on the street in Williamsburg yesterday and found it both infuriating and motivational (in that if there are people truly operating like this, all the more room for those of us who are trying to get things done.)

Is that them up there in the photo? No. But close enough.

Anyhow. Here's this pearl of wisdom, verbatim.

Guy #1:

Dude, I have like, INFINITY ideas kicking around in my head, but like, ZERO motivation or really like, any real DESIRE to actually DO any of them. You know, dude?

Guy #2:

Hahaha, totallllly dude.

So? There you have it. Please: Don't follow their lead.